Hello from Tokyo. I took last week off during Japan's Bon summer holiday period thinking it would be a quiet time for news. But it turned out to be full of big headlines. I was certainly caught off-guard by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's announcement that he will step down at the end of September.
The race to replace him as Liberal Democratic Party chief is already heating up. So far, more than 10 members of the ruling party are seeking to run in the LDP's leadership election. Since each candidate needs the endorsement of 20 other party members to run, it may be difficult for all of them to enter the race. Still, the number of hopefuls vying for the top post is expected to hit a record high. One senior journalist I know described it as an Olympics-style election where simply participating is considered more important than winning.
Kishida plans to make his final prime ministerial visit to the U.S. next month, flying from Tokyo's Haneda Airport on a government plane operated by the Air Self-Defense Force. This has always been the arrangement, even when Narita was designated an international airport and Haneda a domestic hub. It was only after 2010 that many general international flights began using Haneda because of its easy access to downtown Tokyo.
This week's Big Story also looks at air-travel hubs -- specifically, the trend among Asian countries to revitalize airports with better access to city centers in the face of rising global demand. In countries like Japan, where train networks such as the shinkansen are well developed, trains might actually be more convenient, especially for domestic travel, if an airport's access to the city center is poor. One survey put Haneda at No. 3 in Japan in terms of ease of access to the city center, with the top spot going to Fukuoka Airport, which is only 5 minutes by subway from downtown.
Japan is not the only country hit by surprise news of a prime minister's departure. On the same day that Kishida announced he would step down, Thailand's Constitutional Court removed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office.
Unlike Japan, where selecting a new leader is likely to take some time, Thailand quickly chose Paetongtarn Shinawatra -- daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and leader of his Pheu Thai Party -- as Srettha's replacement. Our Asia Insight explains the implications of this rapid leadership change and the challenges Paetongtarn faces in navigating Thailand's complex political and economic landscape.
The race to the top is fierce, not just in politics, but in every field. In the AI chip market, however, Nvidia has remained dominant. Will any strong rivals surface? According to our Business Spotlight in this week's magazine, some Asian startups are emerging as potential challengers, using innovative designs and targeting specific market niches where Nvidia's bulky and power-hungry GPUs may not be the best tool for the job.
Another major news event during Japan's Bon holiday period was Indonesia's first Independence Day celebration in its new capital, Nusantara. President Joko Widodo's legacy project has reached an important milestone. The construction frenzy, however, could have a significant impact on the Indonesian island of Maratua, a remote destination off the east coast of Borneo known for its natural beauty. Our magazine story about it suggests that now might be the best time to visit this island idyll.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend!
Shin Nakayama
Editor-in-chief, Nikkei Asia
Sign up for the weekly Editor-in-chief's picks newsletter here.
Follow me on X (formerly Twitter) @ShinNakayama_NA
